San Jose raises minimum wage to $10

San Jose voters on Tuesday approved the city’s proposed Measure D minimum wage increase from $8 to $10 an hour.

The ballot initiative – originally the brain child of a sociology class at San Jose State University two years ago – has incited intense campaign efforts on both sides of the issue.

Leading the fight against Measure D was a group called Keep San Jose Jobs – a coalition of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the California Restaurant Association and the San Jose Downtown Association, among others. The group vowed early on to raise $1.5 million to defeat the measure, saying a minimum wage increase would mean huge cost increases to businesses and potential layoffs due to the unforeseen labor costs.

Proponents of the wage increase included the San Jose State University students and their professor, Scott Myers-Lipton, plus the South Bay Labor Council, United Way Silicon Valley and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.

Measure D advocates contended that in addition to being a moral issue, a higher minimum wage would increase worker productivity and lower employee turnover rates.

Stay tuned Wednesday morning for more on reactions to Measure D, plus more information on who actually bankrolled the campaigns for and against the wage increase.